


Maybe Communicate Better Next Time

by KatmaTui



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Fixing Relationships, Gen, One Shot, Relationship(s), Things Don't Go As Planned, marriage counseling is not a back up career option
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 20:04:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10771467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatmaTui/pseuds/KatmaTui
Summary: Coulson and May decide to help General Talbot fix his relationship with this wife. As with most of the things I seem to be writing lately...it didn't go quite as planned.





	Maybe Communicate Better Next Time

“Are you going to eat anything other than bacon and fruit?” Mack asked Daisy.

“Nope,” Daisy announced. She shoved a chunk of cantaloupe into her mouth.

The two were seated at a table with Fitz and Simmons enjoying the hotels free “Famous American Breakfast Buffet”. Daisy was now on her second plate of bacon and mixed fruit. Tables were quickly filling up and the noise level had risen significantly since they'd arrived. They picked out some English among the primarily German and French conversations going on around them.

“She's not going to pass up free bacon,” Fitz told him.

Daisy held her two thumbs up and then picked up a strip of bacon. She looked back out from the buffet towards the lobby and watched the latest group of people clamber off the elevators. They were all headed towards the front desk with their luggage. One of the waitresses collecting empty plates stopped and took Mack's empty oatmeal bowl and Jemma's empty plate.

“Danke sehr,” Jemma said to her.

“Bitte,” she replied.

“Hey, have any of you seen Coulson or May, or...” Daisy rolled her eyes, “even Talbot yet this morning. They're going to miss the buffet if they don't get down here soon.”

“May got a text and then left not too long after you and Jemma did last night,” Fitz said. “But I haven't seen her come down yet.”

“Coulson mentioned something about having a conference call this morning,” Mack said. “He might be tied up with that. As for Talbot...”

Mack and Fitz smirked. Fitz shook his head. Mack's smirk turned in to a laugh.

“What's going on?” Jemma asked. “What did you two do?”

“We didn't do anything,” Fitz told her.

“I think the General might not be down for awhile,” Mack add.

“What does that mean?” Daisy asked.

“After you two ditched us we were stuck in the bar with Talbot and Ambassador Melling,” Mack said. “The bartender brought over a drink for Talbot from this woman sitting by herself at the bar.”

“Are you serious?” Jemma asked.

Fitz and Mack both nod.

“I kind of don't want you to finish this story,” Daisy had turned up her nose and dropped the piece of bacon she'd just picked up. “But curiosity is getting the better of me, so go ahead.”

Mack laughed again.

“Anyway it's half way through Ambassador Melling's drunken retelling of that story he told us the first night we were here—the one about being a junior attache and having to babysit some Sheikh around Monte Carlo, so Talbot excuses himself and heads to the bar,” Mack says. “He stayed up there with her and, I don't know, maybe half an hour later they were gone.”

“Well I guess that means things really aren't working out with his wife,” Jemma said.

“Eww,” Daisy said. “I forgot he's still married. Pig.” She snapped a strip of bacon in half.

“Maybe they're separated or even divorced already,” Jemma said. “Right before we left I heard Coulson ask the General how things were going and Talbot changed the subject very quickly.”

“On the plus side,” Fitz add, “Maybe he'll be less grumpy the rest of the week.” Jemma and Daisy shot him looks. “Oh look there's Coulson!” He point out towards the lobby.

Coulson had exited the elevators and stopped to look at his cell phone. He frowned and then moved out more into the wide open lobby. He turned in a slow circle and frowned again. Daisy half stood and waved to him. Coulson came over to their table and scanned the crowd seated around the glass top tables.

“May hasn't come down yet,” Jemma said.

“Actually I was looking for Talbot,” Coulson said. “I knocked on his door but he didn't answer. And his only text response is that he's busy.”

“More like getting busy,” Daisy said.

She'd kept her voice low enough Coulson hadn't caught the comment. Fitz and Mack looked down at their coffee mugs and fought back laughter. Jemma shook her head.

“Is something wrong?” Mack asked. “Did something happen on your conference call?”

“Everything's fine,” Coulson replied. “I'm just hoping he hasn't taken off yet.”

“Taken off?” Jemma asked.

“He mentioned he'd been stationed here once and had some friends who own a cafe over near the base,” Coulson said. “He was thinking about visiting them before the conference this afternoon. I want to make sure he doesn't leave before Carla gets here.”

Mack choked on his coffee. Fitz's eyes widened.

“Carla?” Jemma asked. “As in his wife?”

“Yep.” Coulson had been watching the elevators. He turned back to face the group, a grin spread across his face. “May and I set it up.”

“You set up what exactly?” Mack asked. He used his napkin to wipe his coffee off the table top.

“Before we left base I was trying to make small talk with Talbot. I asked how things were going and...well, it still wasn't going well,” Coulson said. “I feel bad, basically thanks to us and Hydra they've had a lot thrown at them simply because of his job. So May and I made some phone calls and convinced her to have George stay with some friends so she could come here and surprise him.”

“He will definitely be surprised,” Jemma said.

“I know!” Coulson said. He was still smiling. “Her plane landed about half an hour ago. After his presentation today we don't need him there the rest of the day so they can spend some time together. Plus he really doesn't need to be there tomorrow, so they'll have tomorrow and then we changed his reservation to a stay through the weekend and have a jet ready to fly them back Sunday evening. It's perfect.”

Coulson's grin had turned into an ear to ear smile.

“Uh...about that...” Mack stammered.

“What!?” Coulson asked. He looked at the blank expressions on each of their faces. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”

Daisy looked around at her cohorts. She cleared her throat.

“What Mack is trying to say,” Daisy explained, “is that Talbot picked some woman up in the bar last night.”

Coulson's smile dropped. His mouth hung open. He shook his head and waved absently at the air in front of him.

“That's not funny,” Coulson said.

“No, it's not. Not even remotely,” Daisy said.

“I'm going to kill him,” Coulson said. He began to pace. “I...OK, if you see her come in, stall her. I'm going up there to...I don't know what exactly.”

“Maybe you shouldn't go up there sir,” Jemma said. “You're not exactly calm.”

“Yeah, just text him,” Daisy add. “Hey sleazebag, your wife is on her way here, time to send the ho home.”

“Daisy!” Jemma chided her. “Maybe leave the 'ho' part out, she probably has no idea he's married.”

“I'm going up there,” Coulson said. “I will remain calm and I will handle things. Calmly. Just stall Mrs. Talbot if you see her come in.”

Coulson stalked off towards the elevators. There weren't many people going up, so he was able to get into the first one that opened. Seconds later another elevator opened and Melinda May strolled out into the lobby. She scanned the crowd gathered around the tables at the buffet. As soon as she saw her fellow agents, she made her way over to them.

“What's with the looks?” She asked them. “Did they run out of bacon?”

“Coulson might be killing Talbot,” Daisy said.

“What!?” May said. “What happened?”

“Coulson told us what the two of you did to get Mrs. Talbot here,” Jemma said.

“And we had to tell him that Talbot picked some woman up in the bar last night,” Mack add.

“Damn it, I forgot!” May said. She grimaced and dug her phone out of her pocket. “Shit! Please tell me he did not go up there.”

“He did.” Daisy said.

“He's going to ruin it,” May said. “I have to stop him.”

She began to turn around.

“Wait, hold up,” Mack said. “What is he going to ruin?”

“I forgot to tell him about the change. Phil set up her flight to come in today,” May said. “I thought that having her show up and then him having to leave for the conference wasn't very fair. So I got her moved to a flight we had coming over last night...”

“Uh oh,” Fitz said.

“I got her here and let her know he was in the bar,” May said. “So she went in and after he didn't notice her up at the bar she had a drink sent over to him. I didn't stick around after I saw he went up there.”

“How did you not know that was his wife?” Jemma asked Fitz.

“I've never seen her before!” Fitz defended. He looked across the table to Mack. “Have you?”

Mack shook his head and then glanced up at May.

“So you're telling us Talbot's wife is the one who picked him up in the bar last night?” Mack asked.

“Yes, I am,” May said.

“Awwwww,” Daisy and Jemma both gushed.

“That is so romantic,”Jemma add.

“I totally take back the pig and sleazebag comments,” Daisy said.

May was headed back to the lobby.

“Except now I need to get up there before Phil...”

“Call him quick,” Mack said. “Before he does some door kicking.”

May froze in her tracks. Coulson briskly walked from the elevators to their table.

“I'm glad you changed your mind,” May said. “I was able to get Carla here last night.”

“Yeah, I know,” Coulson said. “I pounded on that door until he opened it and pushed my way right inside. And...I've now seem more of his wife than I'm sure either of them ever wanted anyone to see. Thank you for letting me know last night that she arrived early.”

“Sorry, with everything going on it slipped my mind,” May said.

“I'm going to go ahead and grab a cab over to the convention center,” Coulson said. “Before he has a chance to get dressed enough to come down here and kill me.”

Coulson began to head for the front doors—just as a disheveled Talbot exited an elevator. Coulson picked up his pace and rushed for the door. Talbot caught site of him and followed. Coulson broke into a sprint near the doors. Talbot went into a full on run after him.

May's cell phone went off.

“Hi Carla,” she said as she answered. “Yes, I can explain. It's a funny story actually...”

 

 

 

END

 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why I enjoy working Talbot into one shot stories so much!


End file.
